Rihanna's Concert Finishes Early

American star Rihanna faced some trouble during her July 8th concert in Dallas, and was forced to end it due to a fire breakout.

The website "OMG.com" reports that Rihanna arrived on stage late due to bad weather.

She was shocked to see flames near the stage, and the organizing team got her and the audiences out in a rush.

Rihanna apologized to her fans through her "Twitetr" page, adding that her team is working on finding out what caused the fire that ended the concert.

Rihanna's page on "Twitter": http://twitter.com/#!/RIHANNA Provided by YC/ATC-TCL.com

Corporal Kelsey De Santis Asks Justin Timberlake To Marine Corps Ball (VIDEO)

At this rate, the Marine Corps Balls are going to look a lot like a post-Oscar soiree.
Days after Mila Kunis was asked via YouTube to the November 18th, Greenville, North Carolina-set military gala by Sgt. Scott Moore, of the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines in Musa Qala, Afghanistan, she agreed to attend in an interview with Fox News -- once she was pushed a little bit by her "Friends with Benefits" co-star Justin Timberlake.
Thanks to his excitement for his friend, Timberlake now has a potential date of his own.
Corporal Kelsey De Santis, the only female at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence (MACE) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, posted her own video to YouTube asking Timberlake to accompany her to another ball, November 12th in Washington, DC.
And if he can't go? All she has to say is, "cry me a river."
She's so adamant, in fact, that she even has a Facebook page devoted to the cause -- and will appear on The Situation Room on CNN on Wednesday night to make her plea again.
WATCH:

Jennifer Aniston immortalised

Jennifer Aniston teased that she had never been keen on placing her body in cement at her Hand and Footprint Ceremony in Hollywood lately.
Jennifer Aniston was beaming at her Hand and Footprint Ceremony in Hollywood yesterday, blowing a kiss to new boyfriend Justin Theroux.
The actress has joined the likes of stars including Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis and Sophia Loren by being immortalised at the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
Her current beau Justin joined her for the ceremony sporting a new freshly shaven look, with Jennifer looking particularly loved-up.
'She was beaming,' an onlooker is quoted as saying by People. 'She couldn't have looked happier.'
During the ceremony Jennifer teased that she had never been keen on placing her body in cement. She laughed that her latest accolade felt like a crazy dream.
'Man, I have to tell you, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd be sticking my body in cement, for a good reason,' she smiled.
Jennifer was overwhelmed to be honoured alongside Hollywood royalty. The actress feels immensely proud of her achievements, which she never anticipated.
'I never would have thought in a million years that I would ever get to a place where that would be possible,' she told ET's Chris Jacobs.
Jennifer accepted the honour from Jason Bateman, her good friend and co-star of latest picture Horrible Bosses. The actress looked stunning in a floral Prada frock and Gucci shoes.

Kim Hyung-suk, South Korean iPhone User, Sues Apple Over Location Tracking--And Wins

Apple Inc's Korean unit has paid compensation to a user of its popular iPhone after collecting location data without consent, lawyers and court officials said, the first payout by the company over these complaints.
In May, Apple Korea was ordered by the court to pay 1 million won ($946) in compensation to Kim Hyung-suk, a lawyer, two officials at Changwon District Court told Reuters on Thursday. They declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Kim's law firm, Mirae Law, said Apple made payment last month. Steve Park, a spokesman for Apple Korea declined to comment.
Mirae Law said it was now preparing a class action lawsuit against Apple for the unauthorized data collection. A website for class action sign-up has been set up but was paralyzed due to heavy traffic. (www.sueapple.co.kr)
Apple released a software update in May to fix a problem that enabled its mobile devices to collect and store customers' location data. The revelation that Apple's iPhone collected data and stored it for up to a year has prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.
U.S. lawmakers have accused the technology industry of exploiting location data for marketing purposes - a potentially multibillion-dollar industry -- without getting proper consent from phone users.

Two separate U.S. groups of iPhone and iPad users have sued Apple, alleging that certain software applications were passing personal user information to third-party advertisers without consent.
Google Inc's Seoul office was raided in May on suspicion its mobile advertising unit AdMob had illegally collected location data without consent, in the latest setback to the Internet search firm's Korean operations.
Executives of both Apple and Google have said they did not abuse the information.
Any class action may further pressure Apple in the home market of its key rival Samsung Electronics.
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S smartphone has emerged as a major competitor to the iPhone.
The iPhone is sold by top mobile carrier SK Telecom and second-ranked KT Corp in South Korea. KT, the major seller of the iPhone, said its iPhone subscribers reach more than 2.7 million, while SK Telecom declined to provide any details.
Apple sold a record 18.65 million units of its blockbuster iPhone globally in the March quarter.

Foreign Hackers Stole 24,000 Military Files, Pentagon Says

Foreign hackers infiltrated the network of a defense contractor in March, stealing 24,000 military files in a single intrusion, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn disclosed Thursday.
The disclosure revealed one of the most devastating data breaches suffered by the Defense Department to date and marked the latest instance of hackers successfully penetrating the Pentagon’s cyber armor to obtain sensitive information.
“It is a significant concern that, over the past decade, terabytes of data have been extracted by foreign intruders from corporate networks of defense companies,” Lynn said as he unveiled the Pentagon’s first formal cyber strategy.
While some of the military data stolen by hackers is “mundane,” Lynn said much of it is related to sensitive Pentagon systems, including aircraft, surveillance and satellite communications.
"Current countermeasures have not stopped this outflow of sensitive information,” he said. “We need to do more to guard our digital storehouses of design innovation.”
Back in 2008, a foreign intelligence agency placed malicious code on a flash drive that was inserted into a military laptop connected to a network run by the U.S. Central Command. “That code spread undetected on both classified and unclassified systems,” Lynn wrote in an article published last fall in Foreign Affairs magazine.
In May, military contractor Lockheed Martin revealed that its system was infiltrated by hackers. And on Monday, hackers breached the network of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, releasing what the company reports to be 90,000 military email addresses and passwords.

“Their networks hold valuable information about our weapons systems and their capabilities," Lynn said, referring to government contractors. “The theft of design data and engineering information from within these networks undermines the technological edge we hold over potential adversaries.
Yet for every successful breach by hackers, thousands more are thwarted, officials said. More than 60,000 new malicious software programs or variations are identified every day, “threatening our security, our economy and our citizens,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Thursday in a statement.
“I view this as an area in which we’re going to confront increasing threats in the future and think we have to be better prepared to deal with the growing cyber challenges that will face the nation,” said Panetta.
The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy was short on specifics and focused more on defending the nation from cyber threats than on launching cyber attacks on other countries.
The report called for making cyberspace its own operational domain, which allows the Pentagon to organize, train and equip forces for the cyber battlefield just as it does for other military branches. It also called on the Pentagon to collaborate on cyber-security with other countries and the private sector, since many of the military’s operations rely on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and global supply chains.
Concerns over cyber-security within the global supply chain were heightened last week when a Department of Homeland Security official told Congress that some imported electronic devices are arriving in the United States with malware already installed on them.
The new report also called for the Pentagon to work with the Department of Homeland Security to protect elements of the nation’s critical infrastructure such as the power grid from cyber attack, and warned the military needed to prepare for being disconnected from the Internet during missions in the event of a cyber attack launched by enemy forces.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson cools talk of move for Inter’s Wesley Sneijder: 'I've not been involved in that since I came to America'

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has moved to quell talk of an imminent arrival of Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder at Old Trafford.
Goal.com revealed on Thursday that United officials were in talks with Inter and the Dutch playmaker, with a fee of €40m agreed in principle if Sneijder could finalise personal terms with his prospective new club.
United were believed to be reluctant to raise their offer above €195,000 a week, with the player's camp holding out for €225,000 a week.
However, Sir Alex addressed the media on United's pre-season tour of the United States and stated that he was not party to those talks.

Speaking in Seattle, Sir Alex said: 'There is no real interest in Sneijder at this moment in time for a lot of reasons. I’ve not been involved in that since I came over here.'

It remains to be seen whether United continue their pursuit of the 27-year-old as they seek to find a replacement for the retired Paul Scholes. Sir Alex has already conceded defeat in the chase for Samir Nasri, claiming the Frenchman will either remain at Arsenal or join 'another club', believed to be Manchester City.

United have also been linked with Luka Modric, who is unsettled at Tottenham after two unsuccessful bids from Chelsea. Follow Goal.com on . Get the latest football news direct... Check out Goal.com's page; be part of the best football fan community in the world!

Victoria Beckham gives birth

Victoria Beckham has given birth to a girl.
The fashion designer and her soccer star husband David welcomed their daughter into the world at 7.55am on July 10th. The tot weighed in at 7lbs. 10oz, and they named her Harper Seven Beckham.
'David and Victoria Beckham are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter,' the couple’s spokesperson said.
'Happy and healthy she arrived at 7.55 am this morning at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.'
David and Victoria already have three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, and six-year-old Cruz. All three boys are said to be thrilled about the new arrival.
'Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family,' the representative added.
The pair’s daughter was born by caesarean section.
David and Victoria, 37, have both spoken about their excitement at becoming parents again before, with both admitting they were thrilled to be having a daughter.
'Obviously, having three boys, you kind of expect another one, so finding out a little girl is in there is surprising, but, obviously, we are over the moon,' said David, 36, after the pregnancy was announced.

Beyonce to premiere new song

American star Beyonce will soon premiere her latest music video, "Best Thing I Never Had".

"Billboard.com" reports that Beyonce extends a message through her music video for people to let go of the past.

Beyonce refers to the past in her video, mentioning an old friend whom she thought was her soul mate, but she thanks him after their journey ends.

"Best Thing I Never Had" is the second single from Beyonce's new album "4", which was released on June 1, 2011.

Peter Jackson: Hobbit scenery will amaze

Peter Jackson has told Hobbit fans there are a 'huge amount of wonderful locations' still to be discovered in the upcoming fantasy.
The 49-year-old moviemaker is helming upcoming two-part epic The Hobbit, which will be a prequel to the acclaimed Lord of the Rings franchise.
Peter likes to keep his fans up-to-date with all the latest Hobbit news, and has posted another of his celebrated video blogs. The first part of the epic, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, has been filming recently and Peter has been discussing how excited he is about the various movie settings.
'There’s plenty of New Zealand that we haven’t seen yet. I think people think it’s such a small country, and in Lord of the Rings we saw so much of it, that we must have seen everything, but, believe me, we haven’t. There’s a huge amount of wonderful locations still to come,' he beamed in the blog.
Location manager Jared Connon also took the time to discuss the various settings that will be used. He is equally as excited about the new scenery film fans will discover.
'We’re shooting locations around the Mackenzie Country, round wilder landscapes below Mount Cook. And we will also be shooting around Dunedin way. More beautiful stone, rock… you know, wild country. And that’s quite exciting because it’s an area of Middle-earth we haven’t visited before,' he enthused.
The first Hobbit movie is set for release in December 2012.

App gives Apple gadget users aerial view of France

Fotopedia and National Geographic Traveler magazine on Tuesday launched a software application that gives Apple gadget users an aerial tour of France.
"Above France" software for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch devices promised a collection of "awe-inspiring French vistas, from l'Aiguille du Midi to the Chateau d'Yquem."
Helicopter pilot and professional photographer Frank Mulliez took more than 2,000 aerial photos of abbeys, castles, villages, beaches, mountains and other locales streamed to devices with the software, according to Fotopedia.
"This is France from the air," National Geographic Traveler editor-in-chief said of the application.
"It's all here: from Mont Blanc to the historic abbey of Mont Saint Michel, the castles of the Loire Valley and the rooftops of Paris."
The application features interactive maps, slide shows, and tools for building virtual tours or real-world trips to France.
"If you think that France is beautiful, wait until you see this app," said Fotopedia chief executive Jean Marie Hullot. "It's a love letter written with a camera and a helicopter."
The Above France application is priced at $2.99 (US) in Apple's online App Store. Investor-backed startup Fotopedia has offices in Paris and San Francisco.

France to open cooperation office in N. Korea

France will open a cooperation bureau in North Korea, Le Monde newspaper said Tuesday, but underscored that Paris was not launching diplomatic relations with the reclusive Stalinist state.
A senior French diplomat is currently in Pyongyang where he "will present to the North Koreans" the future French representative, the daily said, identifying him as Olivier Vaysset, a diplomat who has worked in Singapore.
"The opening of this office does not signify that France is opening as such diplomatic relations with this totalitarian country," it said but added that it could serve as a "diplomatic intermediary."
The proposed office will handle cultural cooperation, it said.
The French move comes as ties between North and South Korea are at their lowest ebb after Seoul accused Pyongyang of torpedoing a warship in March 2010, killing 46 sailors.
North Korea angrily denied the charge but went on to shell a border island last November, killing four South Koreans including two civilians.
Denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang, which has tested two nuclear bombs, have also been stalled since 2009.
The six-party talks, grouping the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, are aimed at persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons for energy aid and security and diplomatic benefits.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy had sent former minister Jack Lang to North Korea in 2009 for talks and Lang had on his return recommended that a cooperation office be set up, Le Monde reported.

Argentina swamp Costa Rica in Copa America

A reborn Argentina swamped Costa Rica 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa America in style courtesy of a brace from Sergio Aguero and another from Angel Di Maria.
Aguero, on from the start with Carlos Tevez benched in a revamped forward line, netted seconds from half-time after the hosts had dominated the opening stages.
With Lionel Messi magnificently pulling the strings just behind the main strikers, Atletico Madrid star Aguero made the points safe with a second goal seven minutes after the restart to take his tally at the event to a tournament-high three.
Di Maria then finished off the outclassed Ticos with the third just after the hour mark as Argentina joined Group A winners Colombia, Chile, Peru and Venezuela in the quarters.
"This was a real tonic - just what we needed," said Aguero.
"We played very well and got the goals - but the main thing was we gelled as a team. Now we have to keep it up."
Javier Pastore, a late substitute for the profligate Gonzalo Higuain, who could have at least doubled the margin, agreed.
"That was a really important win and a good team performance - our attitude was spot on," he said.
Coach Sergio Batista was under huge pressure to deliver a win and secure passage to the next round with the hosts seeking their first major trophy since 1993.
And after their slow start he rang the changes with Tevez and Ezequiel Lavezzi benched and Higuain brought in as a classic centre forward allowing Messi to concentrate more on his string pulling out of the immediate firing line.
Where Messi in particular was concerned, the plan worked like a dream, as the Barcelona man was involved in almost every move, tearing Costa Rica's defence to shreds with his incisive passing and weaving in and out.
Argentina's revamped forward line lay siege to Leonel Moreira's goalmouth from the outset, with Real Madrid's Higuain firing a snap shot well wide on the turn before Messi, having hit the woodwork with a freekick, drove just over.
Aguero then drilled a low effort just past the post as the one-way traffic continued before Messi went off on a run down the right, only for Aguero to blast off target after taking his through pass.
Again, world player of the year Messi, facing huge popular criticism for his country's poor start following draws with Bolivia and Colombia, ran at the Costa Rican defence, finding Higuain, who drove wildly over from barely ten yards out.
But the dam had to burst and it finally did seconds before the interval.
Fernando Gago fired a drive goalwards which Moreira couldn't hold and Aguero, following up, dinked the ball home.
The second half continued in the same vein and it was 2-0 on 53 minutes as Messi teed up another neat finish for Aguero.
Higuain had an effort ruled out for offside, then should have had a penalty when he appeared to been held back inside the box and fired over once more after yet another pass from Messi, who was carving apart the Costa Rican defence almost at will.
And it was Messi again who set up the killer blow, sliding a perfectly-weighted pass through for Di Maria to blast home left-footed for a 3-0 lead without even breaking stride.
A 54,000 crowd -- which included 1978 World Cup hero Mario Kempes, visiting a stadium named after him -- gave Messi a huge ovation at the end as the Barca man and the team renewed their covenant with the delirious fans.

Summer 2011: Hot Red Hair

From Gossip Girl’s Serena van der Woodson to The Other Boleyn Girl, Scarlett Johansson, movie stars are leaving their blond days behind to be redheads instead. Katy Perry is also temporarily sporting the redhead look for the next three weeks, but does that mean you should too? Here are some things you should consider before going fiery red.

Choose the color according to your skin tone and eye color. Don’t just copy your favorite actress. If you're pale, Rihanna’s vibrant red would make you paler, so before dyeing your hair consult your hair stylist and try on different shades of red hair pieces (if available).

Carry a photograph of the color you want. Do not explain to your stylist the color you want, instead show them that way you’ll avoid the mix up.

Know the difference between Level and Tone. Color level is the intensity of the color (i.e.: lightness/ darkness) while the tone is what is reflected in the color (strawberry, copper, auburn…).



Make sure you’ll be able to maintain your red locks. Red hair always fades faster than any other shade therefore requires special treatment. Using a shampoo and conditioner especially formulated for red hair will allow the color to last longer.

Taking care of your hair should start from day one, you might even need to change your make-up palette to match your new look so be careful there’s a price to pay to be a redhead.

Never go solid. Solid red hair can appear flat and boring. Playing with high and low lights (all in different shades of red) will give your hair depth and make it seem more alive.

So, will you be visiting the salon for a little bit of Red?

10 steps to get rid of hair loss

Causes of climate variability and change from season to season to hair loss dramatically, and in order to get rid of this problem and preserve the beauty of your hair Follow the following tips:
- In the beginning, not committed any common mistakes in dealing with hair, some believe that the best ways to take care of it is washed every day, while testing says the opposite is true, because the scalp produces its own oils nourish hair. If this is not your hair is oily,'m the wash once a week with warm water, not cold.
1) Cut the limbs every 3 months at most, even if half a centimeter, because the weakness of the parties leads to the weakness of the whole hair and then to brittleness.
2) scalp massage with warm oil, once or twice a week, and to obtain a better result on your hair leave overnight before washing.
3) Use coconut oil, it helps to grow hair quickly.
4) Be careful about the type of food you eat, and focus on healthy foods like eggs and balanced chicken liver and vitamin «d», fish, carrots, milk and vegetables, and a lot of acts of drinking fluids, with a move away from extreme diets that are reflected on your hair. Avoid cold drinks also because they impede the process of digestion and construction in the body.
5) Get enough sleep, the equivalent of 8 hours per day.
6) Use natural products for hair care and protection from weather conditions such as heat and humidity, it is ok to prepare recipes in the home of the components are available in your kitchen, such as eggs, honey and avocado to feed and wet and add luster to it.
7) Stay away from stress and anxiety, because they lead to the secretion of hormones affecting the health of the hair.
8) smoking does not only harm the overall health, but also damaged the large hair and cause hair loss.
9) Do not offer him a lot of use hairspray and contented himself in the events if possible, choose a hair brush so that they are appropriate without edges or corners, metal, plastic, because that would lead to the bombing of hair. For the distribution of your moisturizer or conditioner to facilitate the demobilization process, use a wide wooden comb teeth.
10) Do not use a hat or collar felt tight, as they may cause brittleness in, and prefer to remain free until the hair breathe and grow freely.
To signify the importance of hair for women and its impact on her psychologically and mood, a weekly magazine «Shop Smart» U.S. survey by telephone participated in more than a thousand women, stating that about half of the women who were surveyed opinions their psychological be in the gutter in the days where the state of their hair is bad and difficult for them to control it.
Focused most of their complaints of being too weak or overly soft or pale in color, or it curly or very dry, or a bad condition. He also admitted to about a quarter of women surveyed that they have suffered, at least once in their lives, from the story of hair are unsuccessful, while said about 12 per cent of whom they have changed the way of styling their hair, or color when they were taken radical decisions, and a mission to change their own lives or the process.

Google temporarily disables realtime search

Google has temporarily disabled its Realtime Search feature following the expiration of a deal with Twitter.
"Since October of 2009, we have had an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results through a special feed, and that agreement expired on July 2," a Google spokesman said in a statement.
"Twitter has been a valuable partner for nearly two years, and we remain open to exploring other collaborations in the future," the spokesman added.
Google said that while it no longer has access to a special feed of tweets from Twitter, "information on Twitter that's publicly available to our crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google."
The Mountain View, California-based Internet search giant announced it was temporarily halting real-time search results in a Monday message on its @googlerealtime Twitter feed.
"We've temporarily disabled google.com/realtime," it said. "We're exploring how to incorporate Google+ into this functionality, so stay tuned."
The Google spokesman said Google's "vision is to have google.com/realtime include Google+ information along with other real-time data from a variety of sources."
Google launched Google+, its long-awaited social networking initiative, last week. Google+ is currently available by invitation only.
Google+ allows users to separate online friends and family into different "Circles" and to share information only with members of a particular circle.
According to technology blog SearchEngineLand.com, which first reported the disappearance of Google Realtime Search, Google used a number of other sources for real-time updates besides Twitter messages.
They included Google News links, MySpace updates, Facebook fan page updates and results from user-generated question and answer site Quora.
Twitter continues to provide its real-time stream of tweets to Bing, Microsoft's rival search engine.

Gervinho arrives at Arsenal for medical ahead of €12m transfer from Lille

Gervinho has arrived at Arsenal to complete a medical ahead of his €12 million move from Lille.

Goal.com exclusively revealed last month the Ivory Coast international has already agreed a four-year contract with Arsene Wenger's side ahead of his switch from the Ligue 1 club.

The forward played a vital role in Lille's title-winning side last term as he scored 15 goals, whilst making 10 assists.

The 24-year-old's versatility will be a major boost to Arsenal's hunt for silverware next season as he is adept at playing in a supporting role, wide of the striker on either flank, as well as spearheading an attack.

Gervinho, who previously stated his intention to help Wenger's side end their seven-year trophy drought, will become Arsenal's second signing this summer after the arrival of Carl Jenkinson from Charlton in June.
Our provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!

Venezuela, ailing Chavez celebrate independence

Venezuela marked its independence bicentennial Tuesday with President Hugo Chavez's supporters buoyed by his return but sobered by his cancer battle ahead.
Sequestered for nearly four weeks in Cuba where he underwent treatment for a cancerous tumor, Chavez returned to Caracas a day earlier in a show of strength, rallying a crowd of thousands with his trademark gusto.
While he said his illness would prevent him from taking part in the full complement of celebrations, the anti-American firebrand has a gift for theatrics and lengthy public speeches, and his appearance at the heart of the commemorations -- including a lavish military parade -- could not be ruled out.
State broadcaster VTV showed Chavez on Tuesday greeting several foreign ministers and representatives from some 17 Latin American nations as the day's events got under way, while Uruguayan President Jose Mujica made a surprise visit to join the festivities.
Chavez sent out warm messages via Twitter, telling followers on the micro-blogging service: "Oh, Venezuela, happy birthday my dear homeland! Happiness today and forever, my brothers! Viva Venezuela!!!!"
The nation is among several in South and Central America to have shaken off the yoke of European colonialism in the early 19th Century, but while he commemorated his country's independence he warned of an intense personal health challenge on the horizon.
In his Monday speech the 56-year-old former paratrooper admitted he had been through some "very difficult hours" during treatment, cautioned that he had only gone through the "first stage" of the battle, and urged patience and strength on the march toward a "final victory."
"I am sure you completely understand the challenges of this battle. Don't let anyone believe that my presence here on this 4th of July means we have won the battle," he said.
It was almost four weeks ago, on June 8, that the Venezuelan leader arrived in Cuba on a routine official visit to his longtime leftist allies in Havana, who are heavily dependent on oil exports from Latin America's main producer.
Two days later he was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment on what Cuban and Venezuelan officials said was a pelvic abscess. Conflicting reports and mounting speculation about his condition followed.
As days ran into weeks, the absence of a man ordinary Venezuelans were used to seeing on television, hearing on radio, or reading on Twitter every day led to naval-gazing about political life without the omnipresent leader.
Last week eyebrows were raised further when Venezuela postponed the inaugural summit of a new Americas bloc -- Chavez had been due to host the regional gathering, a pet project that excludes Canada and the United States.
Then on Thursday, Chavez made a dramatic announcement on state television via video from Havana, telling his nation that doctors had found and removed a cancerous growth.
With the country reeling, officials have since confirmed the tumor was in his pelvic area but that all the president's organs are fine. They have not said what type of cancer it was or what the longer-term prognosis is.
Chavez, who has been elected three times since 1999 and survived an aborted coup in April 2002, has already announced his intention to run for another six-year term in 2012.
His populist anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist rhetoric, handouts to the poor, and image as a regional powerbroker have helped him retain strong support, which hovers around 50 percent in most surveys.
The Venezuelan military, which briefly overthrew Chavez in 2002, has pledged its full allegiance.